The line-up for the Le Mans 24-Hour race was indeed spectacular. Not only did it contain drivers of the calibre of Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn, but it featured three manufacturers at the peak of their powers. Ferrari were the reigning Le Mans champions, while Jaguar had thrown all of their resources at winning the race and regaining the crown they had won two years previously. But there were high hopes for Mercedes-Benz, whose new 300 SLR, with its ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy body, was being operated by a lead car pairing of Fangio and Moss.

Lead up to the race

Date	11 June 1955; 70 years ago
Venue	Circuit de la Sarthe
Location	Le Mans, Sarthe, France
Coordinates	47°56′59.5″N 0°12′26″E
Type	Racing Crash
Cause	Track layout
Deaths	84 (83 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh)
Non-fatal injuries	At least 120
Inquiries	Official government inquiry

Over the flying kilometre on the Mulsanne straight, the following top speeds in practice and the race were recorded.

Ferrari 735 LM	Ferrari 4.4L S6	291.2 km/h
Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L S6	281.9 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 300SLR	Mercedes-Benz 3.0L S8	270.7 km/h
Cunningham C6-R	Offenhauser 3.0L S4	237.6 km/h
Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L S6	236.8 km/h
Porsche 550 RS Spyder	Porsche 1.5L F4	225.3 km/h
D.B. HBR-MC	Panhard 745cc F2	170.8 km/h

Ferrari 735

The 1955 Le Mans disaster was a major crash that occurred on 11 June 1955 during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring around 120 more. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, prompting multiple countries in Europe to ban motorsports nationwide; Switzerland only lifted its ban in 2022.

The crash started when Jaguar driver Mike Hawthorn pulled to the right side of the track in front of Austin-Healey driver Lance Macklin and started braking for his pit stop. Macklin swerved out from behind the slowing Jaguar into the path of Levegh, who was passing on the left in his much faster Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin’s car and launching his own car through the air. Levegh’s car skipped over a protective earthen berm at 200 km/h (125 mph) and made at least two impacts within the spectator area, the last of which caused the car to disintegrate, throwing him onto the track where he was instantly killed. Large pieces of debris, including the Mercedes’ engine block, radiator, front suspension, and bonnet (hood), were sent flying into the packed spectator area in front of the grandstand. The rear of Levegh’s car landed on the berm and exploded into flames.

There was much debate over blame for the disaster. The official inquiry held none of the drivers specifically responsible and criticized the layout of the 30-year-old track, which had not been designed for cars as fast as those involved in the crash.

Before The Crash

There was great anticipation for the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, as Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz had all won the race previously and all three automakers had arrived with new and improved cars. The Ferraris, current champions at the time, were very fast but fragile and prone to mechanical failure. Jaguar concentrated their racing almost exclusively on Le Mans and had a very experienced driver lineup including Formula 1 (F1) Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn.

After conquering F1, Mercedes-Benz had debuted its new 300 SLR in that year’s World Sportscar Championship, including a record-setting win at the Mille Miglia for Stirling Moss. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron. The car lacked the more effective state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, instead incorporating inboard drum brakes and a large air brake behind the driver that could be raised to increase drag and slow the car.

Mercedes team manager Alfred Neubauer assembled a multinational team for the race: pairing his two best drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the lead car, 1952 race winner Karl Kling with Frenchman André Simon (both also in the current F1 team), and American John Fitch with one of the elder statesmen of French motor racing, Pierre Levegh. It had been Levegh’s unprecedented solo drive in the 1952 race that failed in the last hour, which allowed Mercedes-Benz their first Le Mans victory.

Aside from two layout changes to make the circuit shorter, the Circuit de la Sarthe was largely unaltered since the inception of the race in 1923, when top speeds of cars were typically in the region of 100 km/h (60 mph). By 1955, top speeds for the leading cars were over 270 km/h (170 mph). That said, the circuit had been resurfaced and widened after the Second World War. The pits and grandstands had been reconstructed, but there were no barriers between the pit lane and the racing line, and only a 4 ft (1.2 m) earthen bank between the track and the spectators. The cars had no seat belts; the drivers reasoned that it was preferable to be thrown clear in a collision rather than be crushed or trapped in a burning car.

The 1955 race began at 4pm on Saturday, and, as predicted, the lead cars of Eugenio Castellotti (Ferrari), Hawthorn (Jaguar), and Fangio (Mercedes-Benz) were at the head of the field in the first hour. The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. Going into the second hour, Castellotti started dropping back, but Hawthorn and Fangio continued the duel, swapping the lead and dropping the lap record further and further, lapping most of the field.

The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting.

The Race

The opening stages of the race did not disappoint. Traditionally an endurance event, both Jaguar and Mercedes appeared to be treating it more like a sprint, with Fangio and Hawthorn repeatedly swapping lap records. Hawthorn’s open antipathy towards the German manufacturer, following the death of a close relative during the Second World War, merely added to his determination to crush the Mercedes challenge.

But on the 35th lap, in the third hour of the race, disaster struck

Le Mans 1955 start

Blame and counter-blame have continued to swirl around the few seconds that led to motor racing’s worst disaster, but the indisputable facts are these. Hawthorn, engaged in a ferocious battle with Fangio, overtook British driver Lance Macklin’s Austin Healey, before realising that he was being called into the pits. He veered across towards the pits, braking sharply. Macklin took evasive action, drifting off the track to the right before coming back across it and into the path of Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh. The Frenchman, doing 150mph, had no time to react and his right front wheel rode up on the back of Macklin’s car.

Levegh’s Mercedes was launched into the air and catapulted off the track. It collided with an embankment and disintegrated. Levegh himself was thrown back on to the track, where he died instantly. Debris, including his car’s engine block, flew into the crowd. His bonnet lid scythed through the spectators for 100m, decapitating those in its path like a terrible automotive guillotine. The rear of the car burst into flames, the magnesium alloy adding to the intensity of the flames.

Pierre Levegh

Carnage reigned. As well as Levegh, 83 spectators were killed and hundreds were injured. Hawthorn, who had overshot the pits, came in a lap later, with tears streaming down his face. In the stands, people used advertising banners to carry the injured and the dead, while others frantically searched for loved ones and priests performed last rites. Yet, inexplicably, perhaps unforgivably, the race continued.

The American Formula One driver John Fitch, who was Levegh’s co-driver and was standing with the Frenchman’s wife when the accident happened, urged Mercedes to withdraw from the race. If nothing else, he argued, the PR disaster for a German manufacturer to be seen to be cavalier about French bloodshed would be catastrophic just a decade after the guns had fallen silent in Europe. Yet the decision had to be made at the highest level and clearance to retire from the race was only received after all the company directors had been contacted and given their assent, at around midnight. The remaining Mercedes cars were quietly called in from the race at 1:45am, with the crowd at its most sparse. They were first and third at the time.

Stage by stage of the Accident

A senior member of the Mercedes team approached Jaguar at this time to suggest that they, too, might like to retire from the race in an act of solidarity. The Jaguar team leader, Lofty England, whose name seemed also to sum up his haughty attitude, declined.

Maybe it is unfair to judge the actions of England and of the Le Mans organisers’ actions by modern standards, but their response to what was clearly an unfolding tragedy of monumental proportions seems scandalously cavalier. The organisers’ justification that cancelling the race would have caused an alarmed crowd to gridlock the roads and hamper the emergency services seems implausible. It would not have been hard to close the car parks and, anyway, they could have cancelled it at 3am, when the crowds were at their thinnest.

Levegh was thrown free of the tumbling car, but his skull was fatally crushed on landing.

When the rear section of the car landed on the embankment, the fuel tank exploded. The ensuing fuel fire raised the temperature of the remaining Elektron bodywork past its ignition temperature, which was lower than other metal alloys due to its high magnesium content. The alloy burst into white-hot flames, sending searing embers onto the track and into the crowd. Rescue workers, totally unfamiliar with magnesium fires, poured water on the inferno, greatly intensifying the fire.

Aftermath

The race was continued, officially in order to prevent departing spectators from crowding the roads and slowing down ambulances. An emergency meeting of the Daimler-Benz board of directors was convened by midnight at the request of Levegh’s co-driver, John Fitch.

Mindful of sensitivities involving German cars in a French race just 10 years after the end of World War II, the board decided to pull out from the race as a sign of respect to the victims. Eight hours after the accident, while leading the race (and two laps ahead of the Jaguar team), the Mercedes team withdrew the cars of Juan Manuel Fangio/Stirling Moss and Karl Kling/André Simon. Mercedes invited Jaguar to also retire, but they declined.

Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team, led by motorsport manager Lofty England, kept racing. Hawthorn won the race with teammate Ivor Bueb.

Hawthorn after winning the race

 

After the Race

Funeral services were held the next day at the cathedral in the town of Le Mans.

The French press carried photographs of Hawthorn and Bueb celebrating their win with the customary champagne and treated them with scorn.

The rest of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was completed, with two more races at the British RAC Tourist Trophy and the Italian Targa Florio, although they were not run until September and October, several months after the accident. Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and were able to secure the constructors championship for the season.

After winning the Targa Florio, the last major race of the 1955 season, Mercedes-Benz announced that they would no longer participate in factory sponsored motor-sport in order to concentrate on development of production cars. The self-imposed ban on circuit racing lasted until the 1980s. Several drivers, including Fangio and Jaguar’s Norman Dewis, never raced at Le Mans again.

Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the accident, and such differences remain even today. Macklin claimed that Hawthorn’s move to the pits was sudden, causing an emergency that led him to swerve into Levegh’s path. Years later Fitch claimed, based on “what I saw and what I heard” that Hawthorn caused the accident. Dewis ventured the opinions that Macklin’s move around Hawthorn was careless and that Levegh was not competent to meet the demands of driving at the speeds the 300SLR was capable of.

Macklin, on reading Hawthorn’s autobiography Challenge Me The Race in 1958, was embittered to find that Hawthorn disclaimed all responsibility for the accident without identifying who had actually caused it. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorn’s implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. The action was unresolved when Hawthorn was killed in a crash on the Guildford bypass in 1959.

The official inquiry into the accident ruled that Hawthorn was not responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a racing incident. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for track design. The Grandstand and pit areas were demolished and rebuilt soon after.

The death toll led to a ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and other nations, until the tracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. In the United States, the American Automobile Association (AAA) dissolved their Contest Board that had been the primary sanctioning body for autosport in the US (including the Indianapolis 500) since 1904. Switzerland’s ban did not allow for the running of timed motorsports such as hillclimbs. This forced Swiss racing promoters to organize circuit events in foreign countries including France, Italy and Germany.

Legacy

Over the next year, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) set about making extensive track improvements and infrastructure changes at the Circuit de la Sarthe—the pit straight was redesigned and widened to remove the kink just before the start-finish line, and to give room for a deceleration lane. The pits complex was pulled down and rebuilt, giving more room to the teams, but thereby limiting spaces to only 52 starters rather than the previous 60. The grandstand was demolished and rebuilt with new spectator terraces and a wide ditch between them and the racetrack. Track safety technology and practices evolved slowly until F1 driver Jackie Stewart organized a campaign to advocate for better safety measures ten years later. Stewart’s campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark.

Fitch became a major safety advocate and began active development of safer road cars and racing circuits. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels.

Macklin’s Austin-Healey 100 was sold to several private buyers before appearing on the public auction block. In 1969, it was bought for £155 (equivalent to £3,222 in 2023). In December 2011, the car, estimated to raise £800,000 before the auction, was sold for £843,000. The car retained the original engine SPL 261-BN, but was reported to be in ‘barn find‘ condition. It was then restored to its original condition.^[44]

After the accident Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motorsports until 1985, although the withdrawal had already been decided before the race and had not been caused by the accident. After returning to sports car racing in the mid 1980s, initially as an engine supplier, Mercedes went on to win the 1989 Le Mans race in partnership with Sauber Motorsport. Mercedes went on to compete in the championship during the 1990s as a works team before withdrawing for a second and final time in 1999, following a series of spectacular but non-fatal crashes of the Mercedes-Benz CLR.

In Memory

 

• Pierre Bouillin “Pierre Levegh”, 49, Paris
• Jack Diamond, 24, London (UK)
• Robert Loxley, 24, Worcester (UK)
• Simone Van den Eiden, ~30, Bruges (Belgium)
• Jacques Ruille, 22
• Max Girard, 23, Cavaillon
• Marie-Isidore Vaugon, 32, Saint-Samson
• Louis Lapouge, 30
• Simone Malfrey, 20
• Aristide Neraud, 45
• Bernard Piermay, 20
• Chantal Grellier, 7, Pyramide-Tralare
• Daniel Pignot, 40
• Louis Grimault, 23, Berville
• Marcel Brion, 31, Metz
• Jean Poussin, 42
• Solange Travers, 22, Saint-Jean-le-Blanc
• Robert Divaret, 51
• Jean Retif, 20
• Geneviève Bichot, 41, Laval
• Roger Riboulin, 40, Cusset
• Jean-Louis-Robert Delasalle, 26
• Jean-Claude Favette, ~16, Pornic
• Bernard Rabot, 31
• Jean-André Audebert-Las Rochas, 26, Paris
• Achille Weill, 52, Pfastatt
• ? Le Page, 12, Brest
• Jacques Marin, 15
• André Leroy, 43
• Geneviève Foglih, 41
• Denise Hivert, 27
• Gilbert Domer, 20
• Louis Le Coze, 27
• Emile Robert, 31, Cavaillon
• Louis Rocher, 38
• François Reye, 22
• Fernand Gesbert, 53, Le Mans
• André Lebaupin, 18
• Michel Fourey, 15
• Robert Emile, 31, Cavaillon
• Manuel Erausquin, 46
• Phillipe Gauvrit, 19, Versailles
• Gérard Cornuaille, 16, Vire
• Donatien Gouraud, 26, Mouzilion
• Roland Fournier, 30
• Jacques Daugey, 30, Saint-Martin-Dauvigny
• Gilbert Delabarre
• Régine Jarry
• ? Gauguin
• Albert Lombert, Laval
• Claude Gautier, Lisieux
• Georgette Benoiste, Saint-Avertin
• Denise Audebert-Las Rochas, Paris
• François Besnard, Paris
• Roland Brunet, Cheffes
• Claude Reye
• Simone Fousset
• Henry Tual, Le Bourgneuf-la-Forêt
• Roger Gauvrit
• Claude Brunet, Le Mans
• Marcel Burges, Le Mans
• Janine Fournier
• Constant Gondon, Ercé-près-Liffré
• Auguste Lebreton
• Gaston Neveu
• Josette Gouraud, Mouzilion
• Roger Bridoux, Briare
• Joseph Weiss, Châteaubriant
• Pierre Rouchy
• Raymonde Cléricy
• Blanche Jeanbart
• Jacques Fournier
• Guy Bellicot, Chauvigny
• M. Languille
• René Campion, Tourcoing
• Raymonde Cherici
• Genevieve Quinton
• ? Léquipe
• ? De Saint-Léger
• François Boitard, Orléans

 

Ian Caldwell @CavallinoRampa2

Ancora qui, sempre in attesa dell’asteroide che eserciti la par condicio a favore dei Dinosauri, a parlare di Formula Uno. Di quello Sport che con sempre peggiore approssimazione possiamo chiamare Formula Uno. Riflettevo sul fatto che nelle due occasioni precedenti si è largamente parlato di cosa accadeva in pista (e come) al che mi è venuto in mente di buttare un’occhio a cosa accadeva ai box o, pure meglio, al muretto.  E stilare quindi una lista di TP (nota per chi fa la punta alle matite: intendo anche e soprattutto la persona di riferimento ai box. Se poi “formalmente” il ruolo era ricoperto da un altro gioppino esticazzi eh) che han lasciato un marchio indelebile nella Categoria Regina. Dai che si va:

FURIA

Ultimo ad aver progettato interamente una monoposto dal telaio al motore all’aerodinamica alle sospensioni etc etc etc già questo dovrebbe garantirgli d’ufficio il titolo di GOAT. Non pago andava regolarmente a fare il culo ai Piloti quando in pista giravano col braccino corto e si relazionava personalmente con loro per averne feedback ed idee. Non fu un caso che la pagina più buia della Storia della Ferrari venne scritta in un weekend in cui fu impossibilitato a presenziare;

LO ZIO COLIN

Qui vabbè secondo me parliamo tecnicamente del non plus ultra d’Oltreamanica con buona pace del Vecchio che dava a lui ed agli altri dei “garagisti”. Ok, contrariamente a Furia lui tecnicamente non progettava motori e si affidava al Cossie V8 però vivaddio s’è inventato di sana pianta wing cars e….la Lotus 88 a doppio telaio cosa che, ad occhio e croce, sbaraglia la concorrenza. Un padrone di casa che si sporcava le mani di grasso, poesia. Il suo cappellino che volava alla bandiera a scacchi nei GP vinti dalle sue macchine è entrato nella leggenda, meraviglioso che abbia volato l’ultima volta con Elio a Zeltweg 1982 quando il nostro pilota conquistò la sua prima vittoria in F1

BERNIE

Da pilota fallito a meccanico con occhi ed orecchie sempre aperte a Team Principal ed infine a “padrone” della Formula 1. Mecojoni eh, mica pizza e fichi. Una mentalità per il business semplicemente unica, un istinto per la politica semplicemente geniale. Due esempi: l’aver ritirato dai GP la BT46B (quella col ventilatore) prima che la FISA gliela bannasse evitandosi così una questione lesiva per l’immagine mentre costruiva di fatto la FOCA. O essersela cavata per il rotto della cuffia con la benzina irregolare di fine 1983 che consentì al BMW di Piquet di non esplodere come quello di Patrese  e quindi di fargli vincere il Piloti. Leggenda vuole che andò dal Vecchio a chiedere venìa ricordandogli che Ferrari aveva vinto (di nuovo) il Costruttori e che un’azione nei confronti della Brabham non avrebbe minimamente beneficiato la Scuderia nel Piloti. Il Vecchio fece spallucce, mise il trofeo Costruttori in bacheca, licenziò Tambay e prese Alboreto. And justice for all……..

SIR FRANK

Gli appassionati vintage se lo ricordano quando atterrava a Linate negli anni 70 per il GP di Monza ed anzichè prendere un taxi scroccava un passaggio in Brianza per risparmiare sul budget. Uomo eccezionalmente intelligente capì per primo le potenzialità degli Arabi col noto accordo Saudia e quelle dei gialli con l’accordo Honda. La sua feroce determinazione gli diede una seconda parte di carriera ancora più vincente della prima coi trionfi del suo Team negli anni 90 mentre più avanti mancò davvero poco perchè non tornasse di nuovo all’iride durante la collaborazione con BMW, specie nel 2003. La mela (Claire) cascò davvero lontanissima dall’albero ma la cosa non intaccò minimamente il ricordo che tutta la F1 ha di lui

TESTA D’UOVO

Ecco, qui parliamo di uno dei peggiori figli di puttana mai visti al muretto. Basti vedere come riuscì a scippare gli Honda ufficiali alla Williams per il 1988 ed in che circostanze. Indubbiamente un uomo eccezionalmente capace e caparbio, anche lui partì come meccanico ed arrivò a prendersi la Mecca da Meyer e soci col suo Marlboro Project Four. L’occhio lungo usato per garantirsi la partnership con Porsche sapendo della loro esperienza infinita col turbo nell’Endurance gli garantì la tripletta 84/85/86, alla quale seguì la quaterna 88/89/90/91 che però finì per sbilanciare gli equilibri del Team (visto chi c’era alla guida ed il fatto che dopo quegli anni non vedeva l’ora di andarsene). La partnership con Ilmor-Mercedes partita in sordina e culminata coi due Mondiali di Mika (che aspettò pazientemente dopo il botto di Adelaide mentre i medici gli dicevano che non sarebbe più stato il Pilota di prima). L’essersi accaparrato il primo Raikkonen coprendo d’oro Sauber che con quei soldi si comprò la sua galleria del vento, l’iride di Hamilton seguito in prima persona fin dall’infanzia. Il disastro della seconda partnership con Honda sta solo a dimostrare che il suo tempo era passato, as simple as that

IL TRIBULA

Personaggio che divide, certo. Ma che merita il suo posto qua in mezzo. Convince la Famiglia Benetton ad acquistare la Toleman nel 1986 ed in meno di 10 anni li porta a vincere due Mondiali di fila col Kaiser, strappato al volo ad Eddie Jordan il quale era talmente preso dalla figa che a Michael di fatto sottopose un contratto da Pilota pagante che diventò presto coriandoli. Gestisce il subentro di Renault passando attraverso anni grami fino ad un altro biennio trionfale grazie ad un Pilota che s’è cresciuto in casa (aveva una partecipazione nella Minardi dove Alonso iniziò a correre in F1….). Il crashgate di Singapore 2008 magicamente fatto scomparire dalla Governance di F1, il suo ritorno con Alpine che mostra al mondo intero come un ultrasettantenne possa ancora scuotere le fondamenta di un ambiente imbalsamato. To be continued

NAPOLEONE

Son ragionevolmente certo che in pochi sappiano che fu Ecclestone a dire a Montezemolo di portarsi Todt a Maranello. In Ferrari non stavano cavando un ragno dal buco e serviva qualcuno in grado di compiere una rivoluzione epocale. Che iniziò quel pomeriggio a Magny Cours nel 1993 quando le Rosse prendevano distacchi da misurare più con la sveglia che col cronometro. Due anni dopo con l’operazione Schumacher iniziò il vero e proprio acquisto di un altro Team, ovviamente la Benetton, il quale finì per scrivere il capitolo più vincente della Storia della Ferrari. Curiosamente tutte le sciagure dal 2008 ad oggi furono figlie della scellerata decisione di non fargli subentrare Ross Brawn (come aveva chiesto lui stesso e come Todt aveva consigliato a Montezemolo) preferendogli uno che da Melbourne 2008 (prima gara al muretto) a Sakhir 2014 (gara delle dimissioni) finì per fare a pezzi il Team più vincente di sempre e, cosa peggiore, assistere alla rinascita di tutti quei pezzi una volta accasati presso altri lidi. Ma noi si sa, siamo semplicemente invidiosi del successo altrui che non riusciamo a perdonare (sic)

 

Buona domenica a tutti

 

Ancora qui, in attesa di un asteroide che faccia finalmente giustizia, a parlare di Formula Uno. Di quello Sport (o ciò che ne resta) che con buona approssimazione possiamo ancora chiamare Formula Uno. Avendo notato come i commenti si siano ravvivati quando son state rivangate occasioni da accendere gli animi di noi che ormai abbiamo un futuro radioso dietro alle spalle mi son detto: perchè non bissare? A tal pro ho realizzato una cosa: blaterare su chi sia il GOAT is for boys (anche perchè non sapendo chi sia Jim Clark passano la vita a parlare di gente che gli avrebbe sì e no allacciato le scarpe eh) mentre argomentare su chi sia il peggior PORCO che abbia mai corso nella Categoria Regina beh, quello è per vecchie canaglie come noi (o no?). Andiamo pertanto a vedere chi possiamo includere nella lista di quelli che verranno poi giudicati col televoto da casa (cosa che nell’era dell’instant messaging fa molto vecchio stile un pò come rinunciare a diottrie e massacrare il tunnel carpale sulla sezione intimo femminile di Postalmarket)

*JACK BRABHAM*

Mai visto correre per questioni anagrafiche se non in spezzoni sul Tubo. Celebre per il vezzo di cercar di spizzare i sassi in uscita di curva in modo da farli finire addosso a chi lo seguiva. Considerando cosa accadde ad Helmut Marko intorno a quegli anni là beh….se non vince d’ufficio almeno la menzione d’onore se la merita tutta;

*JEAN PIERRE JARIER*

Erano altri tempi, questo è vero. Si esponeva la bandiera blu anche al leader della gara ad esempio (pensate solo ad una cosa del genere fatta oggi, i Socials esploderebbero all’istante. Cosa che sarebbe solo un bene eh, ma di questo ne parliamo un’altra volta). Il punto però è che spesso non la esponevano a chi doveva essere doppiato il quale, per puro vezzo o celia, si prendeva la libertà di mandare a puttane la gara di chi arrivava dietro. Beh se quella di Jack O’Malley a Brands Hatch 1978 nei confronti di Sua Santità fu fondamentalmente dabbenaggine (non sapeva cosa fare) quella di Jarier nell’occasione più celebre nella quale doveva essere doppiato, ossia Zeltweg 1983 con Tambay, fu….indefinibile. “Difende” la posizione sul leader della gara che in un giro si ritrova da primo a quarto già che via via che prendeva porte in faccia il compianto Patrick perdeva una posizione alla volta. Alla fine Tambay passa mostrandogli il pugno e riprendendosi la testa della gara chiedendo però troppo al turbo Ferrari che tira le cuoia anzitempo. Il bestemmiometro del mio Vecchio nell’occasione raggiunse un record che verrà battuto unicamente dalla famigerata partenza dell’Estoril 7 anni dopo;

*ALAN JONES*

Qui si vola altissimi senza se e senza ma. Parliamo di uno che ha fatto del tirare a muro i concorrenti diretti un’opera d’arte. Piquet (che poi pure lui come chi sappiamo si faceva chiamare col cognome della madre (anzichè Sotomayor come il padre)) la sua vittima preferita col porco aussie che, tirandolo a muro al primo start di Montreal 1980, di fatto si assicura il Mondiale (Piquet ripartirà col muletto e, a quei tempi, i muletti erano tenuti assieme dallo sputo come la sua BT49 dimostrò rompendosi puntualmente). Concederà il bis a Zolder 1981 sempre col Carioca come vittima. Anche se la cosa più divertente in assoluto fu quando sul podio di Las Vegas nel 1981 dopo aver vinto la gara disse di Reutemann “ecco, adesso può giusto vincere le elezioni di Governatore in Argentina”. Il grosso merito fu quello di non nascondere mai la sua vera natura (caratteristica aussie direi), al Drake un figlio di puttana del genere piaceva eccome tant’è che la prima chiamata che fece fare a Gozzi per sostituire Gilles fu proprio a lui;

*QUELLO CHE PARLAVA CON DIO*

Sempre stato contrario alle santificazioni postume. Ma sempre stato attento agli input più intelligenti che mi arrivano. In questa accezione il Marloc ha fatto giustamente notare che le azioni del Paulista erano fondamentalmente dovute alla sua personalissima Jihad contro la Federazione che l’aveva vessato ingiustamente. Quindi, sia pure in modo apparentemente paradossale, estrometto dalla valutazione tutta la faida con Prost e JMB e mi concentro invece su alcune note più a latere. Monaco 1985: segna il miglior tempo nelle qualifiche di sabato e si premura di tornare subito in pista a gomme finite per impedire materialmente a chiunque di batterlo. Ovviamente (perchè se c’è un figlio di triglia in giro è impossibile che non finisca per ledere una Ferrari) finisce per rovinare l’ultimo tentativo di Alboreto che si incazza in modo epocale e due anni dopo a Zeltweg in un’occasione simile lo aspetta in pista e gli fa saltare il muso con un brake-test di quelli buoni. Escluderei con ragionevole certezza che quel giorno a Monaco fece quello che fece perchè vessato da Balestre o glielo avesse detto Dio quindi il suo bravo posto in questa lista per quello che mi riguarda se l’è meritato appieno;

*IL KAISER*

Cari miei qui secondo me ci siamo. Premessa doverosa: Michele Alboreto era uno che scalava tutte le marce dalla quinta alla seconda alla prima variante di Monza anzichè fare un passaggio solo “per non affaticare la trasmissione”. Il Kaiser faceva volutamente il contrario in occasioni simili provando a rompere la trasmissione in modo che ci lavorassero sopra e la rendessero indistruttibile (vedasi tutti i suoi ritiri del 1996 con quello schifo del cambio scatolato di Barnard). Morale della favola: il Kaiser era il figlio di buona donna del quale la Ferrari aveva bisogno come l’aria, fine. Con lui si parte da lontano, quello che fece a Mika a Macao nel celebre GP di F3 fu semplicemente criminale. Nei suoi primi anni in Benetton si rese celebre per il brake test ad ASdS durante dei test ad Hockenheim e finì con Jo Ramirez che tirò via Senna ai box dopo che gli aveva messo le mani addosso. Sportellata ad Alesi al Lowe’s durante il GP di Monaco 1992 già che non c’era spazio per passare (e radiatore Ferrari rotto ovviamente). Magny Cours stesso anno con ramanzina di Senna in mondovisione. Adelaide 1994 e quella manovra riuscita fondamentalmente per la dabbenaggine di Hill. Dry Sac 1997 dove, come si diceva nell’altro articolo, fallì perchè esitò ma il dolo c’era tutta la vita. Montreal 1998 e Frentzen mandato a muro. Tutti i tagli in partenza fatti dalla pole negli anni d’oro. Menzione speciale per due manovre su Barrichello, una a Monaco nel 2005 (ultimo giro, un punto in palio) l’altra a Budapest 2010 (qui rischiò proprio di ammazzarlo eh, anche se poi ai microfoni commentò che “se è passato vuol dire che avevo lasciato spazio”). Nel mentre i 4 milioni di €uro donati per le vittime dello Tsunami nel 2004 a dimostrare che pure lui, come Senna, fuori dalla pista era una persona completamente diversa e migliore

 

Buona domenica a tutti

Eccoci qua con l’articolo del quale si poteva fare tranquillamente a meno. Un mero espediente per riempire (si fa per dire) le domeniche mattina sul Bring in attesa che il Vitone Nazionale (o nazional-popolare? ai posteri l’ardua sentenza) risollevi morale e livello verso metà settimana. Riempitivo o “filler” come direbbero quelli chic da ZTL un pò imbarazzati nel realizzare che si tratta pure del nome del rimedio estetico del puttanone che si ritrovano accanto. Al bar ci si va (o ci si andava? siamo nell’epoca in cui gente poco sveglia preferisce segarsi davanti un pc pagando cifre per le quali potrebbero tranquillamente trombarsi qualche vigliacca per davvero, mah) per incontrare gli amici e, senza retorica, questo è quello che cerco aprendo queste amene pagine la mattina. In ordine assolutamente sparso (che sennò da vecchie baldracche quali siete vi offendete) quello su cui posso contare qua dentro è:

• le perle di saggezza del Marloc scritte talmente “male” che in pvt ancora un pò diventano un cult del tipo “HIS NAME IS ROBERT PAULSON”;
• i saluti romagnoli dell’Aviatore che mi ricordano ogni volta le sputtanate che tirava a certi frequentatori su altri lidi;
• l’uomo di ghiaccio che (ahimè) sta in alto a sinistra sulla cartina italiana il quale incarna perfettamente lo scoglionamento del pueblo circa l’allontanamento di Bragia;
• quella bruttissima persona del ragazzo anziano il quale riesce ogni volta ad alzare la cima dell’Everest con le sue “missive”;
• il già citato Vitone Nazionale che ogni tanto prova a farmi prendere qualche querela ma è solo ed esclusivamente per passione genuina;
• MIT del quale (a proposito, riconosci il bar?) si potrebbe fare un articolo di ogni singolo post del quale ci onora;
• Il Sovrano Assoluto del Santerno (rigorosamente memorizzato così sul mio cell) che in off season latita quando invece avremmo bisogno del suo controllo del polso della tifoseria nei bar frequentati con la Gazza sotto braccio;
• Il Grumpy col suo stile espressivo assolutamente unico e spiazzante;
• Blade e la ricerca ossessiva della pole (però qua siamo quattro gatti pochi ma buoni quindi fai meno fatica eh);
• Sua Eminenza il Talli e la sua opera omnia partita dalle Ferrari B, arrivata alle Ferrari T e, come tutti sperate ma di fatto già sapete, proseguirà con le C;
• Mumu e la sua vis polemica 😸
• Menzioni speciali per chi scrive poco come Giuseppe Riva o si limita a mettere like come Giorgio Marangoni, mi piacerebbe leggervi (di più), davvero;
• Menzione in zona Cesarini per il leggendario “Il Konz” il quale coniò l’epico nomignolo “Sebestemmio” riferito a Vettel, un colpo di genio davvero epocale. E per Syd che so che ci legge ma vorrei essere io a leggere nuovamente lui.

Qua sotto parliamo/parlate pure di quello che vi pare. Tra due mesi riparte un altro carrozzone lungo 24 GP ed a volte il build-up prima dell’inizio vero e proprio è più interessante del carrozzone stesso (qualcuno ha detto 2023?).  Personalmente ripenso all’immediato dopo Newey delle sue scuderie passate e mi pare di vedere sia dei tracolli (Williams 1998) che della normalità (Mecca verso la fine della prima decade del 2000) quindi non so cosa aspettarmi dalla RB quest’anno. Chissà se Max IV aspetta di vedere che aria tira o s’è già accordato per andare altrove, personalmente ero e resto convinto che nel 2026 raggiunge Newey ed Honda in Aston Martin ma tant’è, già che siamo al bar se ne dicono di cazzate. L’importante però è dirle tra amici.

 

Buona domenica!

This isn’t the story of the rise of Ferrari, but rather the 1952 F1 season which would establish Ferrari as one of the leading F1 teams and maker of some of the most important and presidios road cars in the world.

Ferrari would build it’s first road car in 1947, and name it the 125.

1947 Ferrari 125

 

ENGINE SPECS – 1.5 V12 5MT (118 HP)
Cylinders:	V12
Displacement:	1496 cm3
Power:	87 KW @ 7000 RPM 118.3 HP @ 7000 RPM 117 BHP @ 7000 RPM
Torque:	92 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM 125 Nm @ 5000 RPM
Fuel System:	3 Carburetors
Fuel:	Gasoline

125 Engine

 

The 125 engines were used in Ferrari’s GP cars in 1948 and 1949.

1950 saw a big change in Grand Prix racing. Its name was changed to Formula One and a drivers and constructors championship was introduced.

The first two seasons of F1 were dominated by Alfa Romeo, but at the end of 1951 with Alfa Romeo facing financial collapse, the team withdrew from F1.

Alfa Type 159. 1951 drivers / constructors champion. The last Alfa to win F1 title.

 

As he clocks moved to 1952, Ferrari’s rise to the top begins.

 

The 1952 F1 season would consist of 7 races, starting in Switzerland and finishing in Italy.

1	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten, Bern	18 May
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway	30 May[a]
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	22 June
4	French Grand Prix	Rouen-Les-Essarts, Orival	6 July
5	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	19 July
6	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	3 August
7	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	17 August
8	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	7 September

 

Point structure:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	FL
Race	8	6	4	3	2	1

 

1 point was awarded for fastest lap.

Race 1 – Switzerland

With the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo from the World Championship, Ferrari were left as the sole competitive team under the existing Formula One regulations. It was therefore decided to restrict the World Championship Grand Prix races to Formula Two cars.

Qualifying:

1	28	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:47.5	–
2	30	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:50.1	+ 2.6
3	8	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:52.1	+ 4.6
4	32	André Simon	Ferrari	2:52.4	+ 4.9
5	42	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:53.3	+ 5.8
6	18	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	2:55.9	+ 8.4
7	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:55.9	+ 8.4
8	38	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati–Platé	2:56.4	+ 8.9
9	46	Stirling Moss	HWM–Alta	2:56.4	+ 8.9
10	16	George Abecassis	HWM–Alta	2:56.9	+ 9.4
11	10	Prince Bira	Simca-Gordini	2:59.3	+ 11.8
12	20	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	3:00.2	+ 12.7
13	22	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	3:00.9	+ 13.4
14	2	Hans Stuck	AFM	3:01.7	+ 14.2
15	26	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	3:02.5	+ 15.0
16	4	Toni Ulmen	Veritas	3:05.6	+ 18.1
17	24	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	3:05.8	+ 18.3
18	40	Harry Schell	Maserati–Platé	3:07.6	+ 20.1
19	44	Peter Hirt	Ferrari	3:10.2	+ 22.7
20	12	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	No time	–
21	50	Max de Terra	Simca-Gordini	No time	–
22	14	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	No time	–

 

Race

With the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo from the World Championship, Ferrari were left as the sole competitive team under the existing Formula One regulations. It was therefore decided to restrict the World Championship Grand Prix races to Formula Two cars.

The works Ferrari team brought three drivers to the Swiss Grand Prix, namely Farina, Taruffi and Simon. Regular Ferrari drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi were both unavailable, the former due to his participation in the Indianapolis 500, and the latter because of his having had a road accident. Also running Ferraris were Rudi Fischer and Peter Hirt of Ecurie Espadon, and veteran Frenchman Louis Rosier. Gordini also had a three-car team for this race, consisting of Robert Manzon, B. Bira and the debutant Jean Behra. The HWM team, returning to the World Championship for the first time since the previous race at Bremgarten, fielded the all-British quartet of Abecassis, Collins, Macklin and Moss. Maserati had planned to enter defending World Drivers’ Champion Juan Manuel Fangio and fellow Argentinian José Froilán González, but this did not come into fruition. Completing the field were the sole AFM entry of Hans Stuck and a number of privately run cars representing various constructors.

Race

1	30	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	62	3:01:46.1	2	9
2	42	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	62	+2:37.2	5	6
3	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	61	+1 lap	7	4
4	22	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	60	+2 laps	13	3
5	26	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	59	+3 laps	15	2

Championship Standing

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Piero Taruffi	9
2	Rudi Fischer	6
3	Jean Behra	4
4	Ken Wharton	3
5	Alan Brown	2

Eric Brandon Cooper T20 Swiss GP 1952

Race 2 – Indianapolis

While the Indy 500 was part of the championship, it would not factor into the final result.

Race 3 – Belgian

The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 22 June 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 3 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.

Qualifying

1	4	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	4:37.0	–
2	2	Nino Farina	Ferrari	4:40.0	+ 3.0
3	6	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	4:46.0	+ 9.0
4	14	Robert Manzon	Gordini	4:52.0	+ 15.0
5	16	Jean Behra	Gordini	4:56.0	+ 19.0
6	8	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	4:58.0	+ 21.0
7	36	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	5:01.0	+ 24.0
8	28	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta	5:05.0	+ 28.0
9	10	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	5:07.0	+ 30.0
10	32	Stirling Moss	ERA–Bristol	5:07.6	+ 30.6
11	26	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	5:09.0	+ 32.0
12	12	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	5:11.0	+ 34.0
13	34	Charles de Tornaco	Ferrari	5:14.5	+ 37.5
14	24	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	5:17.1	+ 40.1
15	40	Robin Montgomerie-Charrington	Aston Butterworth	5:19.3	+ 42.3
16	42	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta	5:22.8	+ 45.8
17	22	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	5:25.7	+ 48.7
18	20	Prince Bira	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	5:28.4	+ 51.4
19	18	Johnny Claes	Gordini	5:31.1	+ 54.1
20	30	Roger Laurent	HWM–Alta	5:37.9	+ 60.9
21	38	Arthur Legat	Veritas	5:45.0	+ 68.0
22	44	Robert O’Brien	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	5:51.0	+ 74.0

Maserari’s new A6GCM was still not ready, and, to compound this, their lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio had suffered back injuries at the non-championship Monza Grand Prix. This meant that Ferrari were once again favoured for success in the race, with their driver lineup consisting of Alberto Ascari (in place of André Simon), Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi. There were also two privateer Ferrari entries: local driver Charles de Tornaco of Ecurie Francorchamps, and Louis Rosier. The Gordini team expanded their lineup to include Belgian driver Johnny Claes, alongside Behra, Manzon and Bira. American Robert O’Brien also drove a Simca-Gordini for this race. HWM also recruited a pair of Belgian drivers — Paul Frère and Roger Laurent — who raced alongside regular drivers Peter Collins and Lance Macklin. Stirling Moss switched from HWM to ERA for this race. A handful of other privateer entrants also took part, including future World Champion Mike Hawthorn, who made his debut in a Cooper–Bristol.

Ascari headed an all-Ferrari front row, with teammates Farina and Taruffi in second and third, respectively. The Gordinis of Manzon and Behra made up row two, while the third row consisted of Hawthorn, Ken Wharton (in a Frazer-Nash), and Frère, who was the highest qualifier of the five Belgian drivers on the grid.

Taruffi started badly in the rain, dropping to ninth by the end of the first lap, while Behra overhauled the two leading Ferraris to take the lead of the race. Moss also started well, before his car broke down halfway through the first lap. Behra’s lead was short-lived, as both Ascari and Farina overtook him on the second lap, subsequently holding first and second for the remainder of the race. Behra dropped to fourth when the recovering Taruffi passed him on lap 13. On the following lap Taruffi spun at Malmédy and Behra hit him, causing both to retire. Manzon overtook Hawthorn to assume what was now third place. Despite suffering from fuel leakage problems, Hawthorn was able to maintain fourth place until the end of the race. His fellow debutant Paul Frère also finished in the points, in fifth.^[1]

Ascari’s win (with fastest lap), and Taruffi’s retirement, meant that the two now shared the lead of the Championship, on nine points each. Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman was in third, while Farina’s second-place finish raised him to fourth in the standings, three points adrift of the joint Championship leaders.

Race

1	4	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	36	3:03:46.3	1	9
2	2	Nino Farina	Ferrari	36	+1:55.2	2	6
3	14	Robert Manzon	Gordini	36	+4:28.4	4	4
4	8	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	35	+1 lap	6	3
5	28	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta	34	+2 laps	8	2

Championship Standing

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Piero Taruffi	9
	2	Alberto Ascari	9
	3	Troy Ruttman	8
	4	Nino Farina	6
	5	Rudi Fischer	6

Colorized picture of Ascari at the 1952 Belgian GP

Hawthorn at the 1952 Belgian GP

 Race 4 – France

The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 6 July 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was race 4 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. Unusually this race was run over a duration of 3 hours, rather than a fixed distance.

Qualifying

1	8	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:14.8	–
2	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:16.2	+ 1.4
3	12	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:17.1	+ 2.3
4	4	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:19.3	+ 4.5
5	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:20.4	+ 5.6
6	44	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:21.6	+ 6.8
7	22	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	2:21.9	+ 7.1
8	6	Prince Bira	Gordini	2:23.0	+ 8.2
9	14	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	2:27.0	+ 12.2
10	24	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	HWM–Alta	2:27.5	+ 12.7
11	16	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	2:28.6	+ 13.8
12	18	Harry Schell	Maserati	2:29.0	+ 14.2
13	26	Peter Whitehead	Alta	2:29.5	+ 14.7
14	20	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	2:30.9	+ 16.1
15	42	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	2:32.0	+ 17.2
16	28	Philippe Étancelin	Maserati	2:33.7	+ 18.9
17	36	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:34.6	+ 19.8
18	38	Franco Comotti	Ferrari	2:36.0	+ 21.2
19	40	Piero Carini	Ferrari	2:37.7	+ 22.9
20	32	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:39.6	+ 24.8

 

Having won the previous weekend’s Grand Prix de la Marne, Jean Behra, racing for Equipe Gordini, was among the favourites for the first French Grand Prix to be held at Rouen-Les-Essarts. Also driving for Gordini were regulars Robert Manzon and Prince Bira, alongside Maurice Trintignant, who replaced Johnny Claes from the lineup for the previous round. Claes entered the race in a Simca-Gordini under his own ‘Ecurie Belge’ label, which he had used in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Ferrari retained their lineup of Ascari, Farina and Taruffi, who had locked out the front row of the grid in Belgium. There were also several privateer Ferrari entries: the Swiss duo of Rudi Fischer and Peter Hirt, representing Ecurie Espadon, the Italian pairing of Franco Comotti and Piero Carini, for Scuderia Marzotto, and Louis Rosier. HWM again ran regular drivers Lance Macklin and Peter Collins, this time alongside Frenchman Yves Giraud-Cabantous. While the factory Maserati team remained absent, their new car, the A6GCM, made its World Championship debut, driven by Philippe Étancelin of Escuderia Bandeirantes. Enrico Platé entered a pair of older Maseratis, the 4CLT/48 model, for Toulo de Graffenried and Harry Schell. Completing the grid were Peter Whitehead, in a privately run Alta, and Mike Hawthorn, who again took part in a Cooper–Bristol.

Ascari took his second consecutive pole position, with his Ferrari teammates Farina and Taruffi again joining him on the front row of the grid. The Gordini team locked out the second row, with Behra and Manzon qualifying in fourth and fifth, respectively. Their teammates Trintignant and Bira started from the third row, alongside Peter Collins in the fastest of the HWMs. The new Maserati A6GCM proved a disappointment, with Philippe Étancelin only managing to qualify on the seventh row of the grid (out of eight).

The Ferraris once again dominated the race, with Alberto Ascari leading Farina from start to finish, thus taking his second consecutive victory in the World Championship. Despite a good start from the Gordinis of Manzon and Behra, that saw them take third and fourth place, respectively, by the end of the first lap, Piero Taruffi managed to regain third place on lap 4 and subsequently held it for the remainder of the race, ensuring that it was an all-Ferrari podium. Manzon finished fourth, a lap behind Taruffi, while his teammate Maurice Trintignant took the final points-scoring position of fifth. HWM driver Peter Collins took sixth, two laps behind Trintignant, ahead of Jean Behra, for whom seventh represented something of a recovery, having been in last place at the end of lap 3. His race had been compromised when he crashed and consequently needed to pit.

Ascari’s win, and fastest lap, ensured that he took a five-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of fellow Ferrari driver Piero Taruffi. Farina’s second consecutive second-place finish took him to third in the standings, one point adrift of Taruffi. Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman was a further four points behind in fourth, one point ahead of Gordini driver Robert Manzon

Race

1	8	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	77	3:02:42.6	1	9
2	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	76	+ 1 lap	2	6
3	12	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	75	+ 2 laps	3	4
4	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	74	+ 3 laps	5	3
5	44	Maurice Trintignant	Simca–Gordini–Gordini	72	+ 5 laps	6	2

 

Championship Standing

1	1	Alberto Ascari	18
1	2	Piero Taruffi	13
1	3	Nino Farina	12
1	4	Troy Ruttman	8
3	5	Robert Manzon	7

French GP 1952

Ferrari at the 1952 French GP

Race 5 – Great Britain

The 1952 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 19 July 1952 at Silverstone Circuit. It was race 5 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used New pit facilities had been built on the straight between Woodcote and Copse corners; the original pits were located between Abbey and Woodcote.

Qualifying

1	16	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:50	–
2	15	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:50	+ 0
3	17	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	1:53	+ 3
4	24	Robert Manzon	Gordini	1:55	+ 5
5	4	Ken Downing	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:56	+ 6
6	8	Reg Parnell	Cooper–Bristol	1:56	+ 6
7	9	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	1:56	+ 6
8	6	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:56	+ 6
9	5	Eric Thompson	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:57	+ 7
10	26	Prince Bira	Gordini	1:57	+ 7
11	30	Duncan Hamilton	HWM–Alta	1:57	+ 7
12	1	Graham Whitehead	Alta	1:58	+ 8
13	11	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	1:58	+ 8
14	29	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	1:58	+ 8
15	19	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	1:58	+ 8
16	12	Stirling Moss	ERA–Bristol	1:59	+ 9
17	3	Kenneth McAlpine	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:00	+ 10
18	10	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	2:00	+ 10
19	14	Roy Salvadori	Ferrari	2:00	+ 10
20	21	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari	2:00	+ 10
21	25	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:00	+ 10
22	7	David Murray	Cooper–Bristol	2:02	+ 12
23	27	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:02	+ 12
24	20	Peter Hirt	Ferrari	2:03	+ 13
25	23	Tony Crook	Frazer Nash–BMW	2:03	+ 13
26	28	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta	2:05	+ 15
27	35	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati	2:06	+ 16
28	34	Gino Bianco	Maserati	2:07	+ 17
29	31	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	2:08	+ 18
30	2	Bill Aston	Aston Butterworth	3:28	+ 1:38
31	32	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati–Platé	No time	–
32	33	Harry Schell	Maserati–Platé	No time	–

Jean Behra was unable to take part in the British Grand Prix, having broken his shoulder blade at the non-championship Grand Prix de Sables d’Olonne the previous weekend. Consequently, Maurice Trintignant took over Behra’s Gordini T16 for Silverstone, having driven a Simca-Gordini T15 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. The Gordini team also fielded regular drivers Robert Manzon and Prince Bira. As in the previous race, Belgian driver Johnny Claes entered a privateer Simca-Gordini under the ‘Ecurie Belge’ moniker. Ferrari stuck with the same three drivers — Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi — who had monopolised the podium positions at the French Grand Prix. There were also a number of privateer Ferrari entrants: Fischer and Hirt for Ecurie Espadon, Peter Whitehead and Roy Salvadori. HWM continued their policy of partnering regulars Peter Collins and Lance Macklin with a local driver, in this case Duncan Hamilton. The Connaught team ran a quartet of Lea Francis-engined entries — McAlpine, Downing, Thompson and Poore — while the remainder of the grid was made up of a series of privateers of various constructors, including Coopers and Maseratis.

The three works Ferraris, led on this occasion by Farina, again qualified in the top three positions on the grid, this time being joined on the four-car front row by Manzon. The second row consisted of Downing alongside Reg Parnell and Mike Hawthorn in a pair of Cooper-Bristols. The Connaughts of Poore and Thompson shared row three with Bira’s Gordini and Hamilton in his HWM.

Ascari took the lead at the start of the race and held onto it for the whole 85 laps, taking his third consecutive victory in the World Championship. Polesitter Nino Farina was in second place for the first 26 laps but he dropped down the field when he needed to pit to change spark plugs, eventually finishing in sixth, just outside the points. Despite making a bad start that saw him drop to ninth by the end of the first lap, fellow Ferrari driver Taruffi recovered to take second place, finishing a lap behind Ascari. Dennis Poore, who had been running in third after Farina’s pit stop, needed to make a stop of his own in order to refuel his car. This allowed Hawthorn to inherit third place, which he held for the remainder of the race. He finished a lap behind Taruffi and took his first World Championship podium in just his third race. Poore took fourth, ahead of Connaught teammate Eric Thompson in the fifth and final points position. Ascari’s win, coupled with yet another fastest lap, allowed him to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship once again. He now enjoyed an eight-point lead over fellow Ferrari driver Taruffi. Farina, having not scored any points, was seven points adrift of Taruffi.

Race

1	15	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	85	2:46:11	2	91
2	17	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	84	+1 lap	3	6
3	9	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	83	+2 laps	7	4
4	6	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	83	+2 laps	8	3
5	5	Eric Thompson	Connaught–Lea Francis	82	+3 laps	9	2

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	27
	2	Piero Taruffi	19
	3	Nino Farina	12
	4	Troy Ruttman	8
	5	Robert Manzon	7

Ascari at the 1952 British GP

1952 British GP start

1952 British GP

Race 6 – Germany

The 1952 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 3 August 1952 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was race 6 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 18-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammates Giuseppe Farina and Rudi Fischer finished in second and third places.

Qualifying

1	101	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	10:04.4	–
2	102	Nino Farina	Ferrari	10:07.3	+ 2.9
3	109	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	10:19.1	+ 14.7
4	107	Robert Manzon	Gordini	10:25.3	+ 20.9
5	103	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	10:26.3	+ 21.9
6	117	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	10:41.9	+ 37.5
7	127	Paul Pietsch	Veritas	10:56.3	+ 51.9
8	128	Hans Klenk	Veritas
9	123	Willi Heeks	AFM–BMW
10	105	Felice Bonetto	Maserati
11	108	Jean Behra	Gordini
12	121	Fritz Riess	Veritas–BMW
13	112	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta
14	120	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta
15	125	Toni Ulmen	Veritas–BMW
16	115	Gino Bianco	Maserati
17	119	Roger Laurent	Ferrari
18	122	Theo Helfrich	Veritas–BMW
19	126	Adolf Brudes	Veritas–BMW
20	129	Josef Peters	Veritas–BMW
21	114	Bill Aston	Aston Butterworth
22	124	Helmut Niedermayr	AFM–BMW
23	136	Rudolf Krause	Reif–BMW
24	118	Rudolf Schoeller	Ferrari
25	110	Marcel Balsa	Balsa–BMW
26	116	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati
27	104	Piero Carini	Ferrari
28	133	Willi Krakau	AFM–BMW
29	135	Ernst Klodwig	Heck–BMW
30	130	Günther Bechem	Nacke–BMW
31	131	Ludwig Fischer	AFM–BMW
32	113	Johnny Claes	HWM–Alta
33	111	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta
34	134	Harry Merkel	Krakau–BMW

The Maserati factory team finally appeared with their new car, the A6GCM, which was driven by Felice Bonetto. Also racing A6GCMs were the Escuderia Bandeirantes drivers Bianco and Cantoni. Ferrari once again entered the successful trio of Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi, while there were privateer Ferrari entries for Rudi Fischer and Rudolf Schoeller of Ecurie Espadon, Roger Laurent of Ecurie Francorchamps, and Piero Carini of Scuderia Marzotto. Jean Behra returned to action for the Gordini team, having recovered from his shoulder injury. He replaced Prince Bira, and was partnered by teammates Robert Manzon and Maurice Trintignant. HWM entered three cars, with regular Peter Collins joined by the Belgian pairing of Paul Frère and Johnny Claes, while Australian Tony Gaze drove a privateer HWM. Bill Aston drove an Aston Butterworth, and the field was completed by a plethora of privateer German cars (Veritas, AFM and BMW).

Ferrari were once again fastest in qualifying, with Ascari and Farina being joined on the front row of the grid by the Gordinis of Trintignant and Manzon. The remaining works Ferrari driver, Taruffi, started from the second row, alongside the Ecurie Espadon-entered Ferrari of Fischer and Paul Pietsch in a Veritas. Bonetto’s works Maserati made the third row, along with the Gordini of Jean Behra, and a pair of local entrants: Hans Klenk‘s Veritas, and Willi Heeks in an AFM.

The race turned out to be rather a processional event, with Ascari leading Farina all the way in the first 16 laps. Two laps from home, he had to dive into the pits for oil, emerging 10 seconds behind Farina-which he rattled off on the next lap, catching Farina just a mile from home to win by several seconds after an otherwise dull race. Piero Taruffi had been running in third behind his teammates, but he lost the position to Rudi Fischer towards the end of the race when he encountered problems due to his suspension breaking. Fischer’s podium and Taruffi’s fourth place-finish ensured that it was a Ferrari 1-2-3-4. Manzon, who had been running in fourth for much of the first half of the race, between Taruffi and Fischer, was forced to retire when a wheel fell off his car. This meant that his teammate Behra was left to take the final points in fifth position in his Gordini, ahead of Roger Laurent’s Ferrari. Felice Bonetto, of the factory Maserati team, was disqualified for receiving a push start after his first lap spin.

Ascari, who had taken his fourth consecutive victory, along with a fourth consecutive fastest lap, had now scored the maximum of 36 points for the season, as only a driver’s four best results counted. As a result, he clinched the world championship, making him the first driver to win the championship with two races left to go.^[1] The date was 3 August, the earliest anyone would claim the Championship until Jim Clark seized the crown on 1 August in 1965, also at the Nürburgring. Ascari’s teammates, Taruffi and Farina, remained in second and third, respectively, in the Drivers’ Championship, while Swiss driver Fischer’s second podium of the season raised him up to fourth in the standings.

Race

1	101	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	18	3:06:13.3	1	9
2	102	Nino Farina	Ferrari	18	+14.1	2	6
3	117	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	18	+7:10.1	6	4
4	103	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	17	+1 lap	5	3
5	108	Jean Behra	Gordini	17	+1 lap	11	2

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	36
	2	Piero Taruffi	22
	3	Nino Farina	18
3	4	Rudi Fischer	10
1	5	Troy Ruttman	8

1952 German GP start

Race 7 – Netherlands

The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 17 August 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 7 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammates Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi finished in second and third places. Ascari overtook Fangio’s record for the most race wins, scoring his seventh at this race.

Qualifying

1	2	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:46.5	–
2	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:48.6	+ 2.1
3	32	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	1:51.6	+ 5.1
4	6	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:51.8	+ 5.3
5	12	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	1:53.0	+ 6.5
6	8	Jean Behra	Gordini	1:54.5	+ 8.0
7	34	Ken Wharton	Frazer-Nash–Bristol	1:54.7	+ 8.2
8	10	Robert Manzon	Gordini	1:54.8	+ 8.3
9	26	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	1:55.2	+ 8.7
10	28	Duncan Hamilton	HWM–Alta	1:55.8	+ 9.3
11	14	Paul Frère	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	1:58.2	+ 11.7
12	18	Gino Bianco	Maserati	1:58.4	+ 11.9
13	22	Ken Downing	Connaught–Lea-Francis	1:58.6	+ 12.1
14	30	Dries van der Lof	HWM–Alta	1:59.4	+ 12.9
15	20	Jan Flinterman	Maserati	2:01.8	+ 15.3
16	16	Chico Landi	Maserati	2:02.1	+ 15.6
17	24	Charles de Tornaco	Ferrari	2:03.7	+ 17.2
18	36	Stirling Moss	ERA	2:04.5	+ 18.0

 

Luigi Villorasi absent from the World Championship since the final round of the 1951 season, returned to the Ferrari lineup for the Dutch Grand Prix, replacing Piero Taruffi, alongside regulars Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, the latter of which had clinched the Drivers’ Championship title two weeks previously. Charles de Tornaco also drove a Ferrari at Zandvoort, on behalf of the Ecurie Francorchamps team. Gordini entered the same three drivers from the previous event, the French trio of Behra, Manzon and Trintignant, while Belgian driver Paul Frère drove an Ecurie Belge-entered Simca-Gordini. The HWM team partnered Britons Lance Macklin and Duncan Hamilton with the local driver Dries van der Lof. The only other Dutch driver on the grid was Jan Flinterman, who took part in a Maserati for Escuderia Bandeirantes alongside Chico Landi and Gino Bianco. The works Maserati team were once again absent from the grid, following an unsuccessful appearance in Germany. The field was completed by the Connaught of Ken Downing, Mike Hawthorn‘s Cooper–Bristol, Ken Wharton‘s Frazer-Nash and Stirling Moss in an ERA.

The Ferraris once again dominated qualifying, with Ascari taking his fourth pole position of the season, ahead of Farina in second. Mike Hawthorn shone in practice, gaining a front-row start for his little Cooper-Bristol, relegating Villoresi’s Ferrari to the second row of the grid. Trintignant’s Gordini completed row two, while his teammates Behra and Manzon were joined on the third row by Wharton in the sole Frazer-Nash.

Hawthorn fought valiantly with the Ferraris for five laps before they resumed their usual formation. Ascari led Farina and Villoresi home in another Ferrari procession, with Hawthorn gaining fourth place, two laps behind the Ferrari trio. This was Ascari’s fifth consecutive victory (along with a fifth consecutive fastest lap), and his seventh victory in total, breaking Fangio‘s record for the most World Championship race wins. The Gordinis of Manzon and Trintignant finished a further lap behind Hawthorn, taking fifth and sixth place, respectively. Stirling Moss got up as high as seventh in the ERA before having to retire.

Farina’s podium finish took him to second place in the Drivers’ Championship standings, overtaking the absentee Taruffi. Swiss driver Rudi Fischer, also not present at the Dutch Grand Prix, remained in fourth, while Mike Hawthorn’s result took him to fifth in the standings, level on points with Fischer.   Race   1 2 Alberto Ascari Ferrari 90 2:53:28.5 1 9 2 4 Nino Farina Ferrari 90 + 40.1 2 6 3 6 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 90 + 1:34.4 4 4 4 32 Mike Hawthorn Cooper–Bristol 88 + 2 laps 3 3 5 10 Robert Manzon Gordini 87 + 3 laps 8 2               Championship Standing   1 Alberto Ascari 36 (45) 1 2 Nino Farina 24 1 3 Piero Taruffi 22 4 Rudi Fischer 10 2 5 Mike Hawthorn 10

1952 Dutch GP start

Ascari on his way to winning the 1952 Dutch GP

1952 Dutch GP

 

Race 8 – Italy

The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 September 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. José Froilán González finished second for the Maserati team and Ascari’s teammate Luigi Villoresi came in third.

Qualifying

1	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:05.7	—
2	16	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	2:06.6	+0.9
3	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:07.0	+1.3
4	4	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:07.2	+1.5
5	26	José Froilán González	Maserati	2:07.6	+1.9
6	14	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:07.8	+2.1
7	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:08.2	+2.5
8	8	André Simon	Ferrari	2:09.1	+3.4
9	32	Stirling Moss	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:09.8	+4.1
10	34	Élie Bayol	OSCA	2:10.6	+4.9
11	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:10.8	+5.1
12	42	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	2:11.2	+5.5
13	22	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	2:11.6	+5.9
14	18	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:11.8	+6.1
15	40	Ken Wharton	Cooper–Bristol	2:12.2	+6.5
16	24	Franco Rol	Maserati	2:12.7	+7.0
17	62	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	2:12.7	+7.0
18	48	Chico Landi	Maserati	2:13.0	+7.3
19	30	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:14.0	+8.3
20	36	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	2:14.0	+8.3
21	38	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	2:15.0	+9.3
22	28	Kenneth McAlpine	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:15.1	+9.4
23	50	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati	2:15.9	+10.2
24	46	Gino Bianco	Maserati	2:17.1	+11.4

Race

Due to the dominance of the Ferrari team throughout 1952, the World Drivers’ Championship had already been clinched a month prior to the season-ending Italian Grand Prix. Nevertheless, Ferrari entered five drivers for their home race, with their Dutch Grand Prix trio—World Champion Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Luigi Villoresi—being joined by Piero Taruffi and André Simon, both of whom had competed for the Scuderia at various points of the season. There were also a number of privateer Ferraris, including the Ecurie Espadon pairing of Fischer and Stuck, as well as Charles de Tornaco of Ecurie Francorchamps, Louis Rosier and Peter Whitehead. The works Maserati team appeared for the first and only time in the 1952 World Championship, running three cars for Felice Bonetto, Franco Rol and José Froilán González. Also running A6GCMs were the Escuderia Bandeirantes trio of Bianco, Cantoni and Landi, while Enrico Platé‘s drivers—Toulo de Graffenried and debutant Alberto Crespo—ran the older 4CLT/48 equipped with the team’s own revised engines. Gordini retained their previous driver lineup of Behra, Manzon and Trintignant, while Johnny Claes drove a privateer Simca-Gordini at Monza. HWM entered a pair of cars for Peter Collins and Lance Macklin, with Australian Tony Gaze running a privateer HWM. The Connaught team, absent since the British Grand Prix, returned to the Championship with a three-car entry consisting of Stirling Moss (who had driven for ERA at the previous event), Dennis Poore and Kenneth McAlpine.

For this event, only 24 cars were allowed to take the start, meaning that 11 of the 35 drivers who had entered the race failed to qualify. These included all of the HWMs, three of the privateer Ferraris, and both of the Enrico Platé-entered Maseratis. Ascari took his third consecutive pole position (and his fifth of the season), and the front row was completed by his teammates Villoresi and Farina, and the Gordini of Trintignant. The Maserati of González started from the second row, alongside the remaining works Ferraris of Taruffi and Simon, and the Gordini of Robert Manzon. Row three consisted of Stirling Moss in the leading Connaught, Frenchman Élie Bayol in the sole OSCA, Behra in the third and final works Gordini, and Mike Hawthorn in his privateer Cooper–Bristol. The remaining works Maseratis of Bonetto and Rol were only able to make the fourth row of the grid, starting from 13th and 16th, respectively.

José Froilán González emerged in first place at the start of the race, ahead of Ascari in second. The Argentine remained in the lead for the first 36 laps of the race, until a slow pit stop allowed the Ferraris of Ascari and Villoresi to pass him for first and second, respectively. Ascari held the lead for the remainder of the race, and, in so doing, took his sixth consecutive World Championship race victory. González caught up with Villoresi and passed him to take second place in his only Championship race of the season. Villoresi completed the podium by taking his second consecutive third-place finish. Farina was not far behind in fourth place, while the second Maserati of Felice Bonetto took the final points position in fifth, finishing a lap down on the leaders. The remaining works Ferraris of Simon and Taruffi finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

As Taruffi finished outside the points, he was unable to overtake Nino Farina in the Drivers’ Championship standings. The Ferrari team monopolised the top three positions, with World Champion Alberto Ascari ahead of teammates Farina and Taruffi.

1	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	80	2:50:45.6	1	8.5
2	26	José Froilán González	Maserati	80	+1:01.8	5	6.5
3	16	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	80	+2:04.2	2	4
4	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	80	+2:11.4	3	3
5	22	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	79	+1 lap	13	2

 

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	36 (53.5)
	2	Nino Farina	24 (27)
	3	Piero Taruffi	22
	4	Rudi Fischer	10
	5	Mike Hawthorn	10

Alberto Ascari wins the 1952 championship.

Ascari after winning the 1952 championship

The 1952 F1 championship was a turning point in the sports history. The upstart Ferrari team crushed the other teams, and the dominant Alfa Romeo team would pull out and not return to F1 until the late 1970’s. Ferrari’s success on the track was mirrored by its success as a car manufacture, something which stands to this day.

Today that prediction continues on both the road and track.